


Part 5: Into Nas

by HeroOfMorderan



Series: Hero of Morderan [5]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 08:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11964018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroOfMorderan/pseuds/HeroOfMorderan





	Part 5: Into Nas

It was beautiful, I’ve never seen such a detailed sword. It almost glowed in the dark alcove, it was so amazing. “Let me hold this one.” Cutrlik said, grabbing the sword before I could reach it myself. “You can get the next one, it will be better if one person doesn’t have them all in case one of us gets captured.” Pulling it out, she swung it through the air in one smooth motion, silently cut the space between us. That sword is so cool, I can’t wait until we get the next one so I can have a cool sword too.  
“It’s just that we don’t know the power these things have, and I just have more training.” She said, almost apologetically, as she stored the sword across her back.  
“Oh no I understand, you’ll be able to use it way better than me anyway.”  
“It’s probably not the best idea to use these. We’ve never had practice with them, and who knows what kind of magical power they have, it might be dangerous to use untrailed.” She was right, I’ll only use them in emergency situations.   
“What sword is next?” I asked as we walked out of the cave. We weren’t attacked by the violent sand storm when we left, it was a quiet afternoon, and the air was still.   
“The Wind Blade.” I get the Wind Blade! Sweet! “It’s getting late, so why don’t we walk a bit and find a place to rest, then we’ll head there tomorrow. It’ll be fastest if we head through Nas, so that can be our goal for tomorrow.”  
“Works for me!”  
We used up the remaining sunlight for travel. The desert transformed to rolling plains as we traveled north-west to Nas. When we were walking, I decided it was finally time for me to ask her. I was holding off, not sure how she would respond, but I thought at that point we were close enough for me to be safe asking. The sun was just starting to sink below the plains, casting an orange glow across the sky. I took a deep breath.  
“Hey, Curtlik, can I ask you something?”  
“Sure, what’s up?”  
I waited, gathering my courage. The question was there, I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but the words clung to my throat, refusing to escape.  
“What is it? Is it about my past? I’ve made my peace with it, you can ask.”  
“No, it’s not that. Um, I’m trying to think of how to say it.” More like I was trying to negotiate with myself to figure out the words my mouth permitted to be said. It really was terrible. It’s ok, you can laugh, I’m sure you are.   
“Ok, well you should just say it, right?” She asked, trying to help.  
“Yeah, uh right. So, when I was getting the Necklace of the Land, before I got to the cave, I came across a goblin camp. There were three gobs there.” She laughed a bit when I said gobs.  
“Well I killed two pretty quickly, it was cool I did this thing with my dagger and some rope, and then I restrained the last one to interrogate. I thought he could tell me about their base, and I hoped it could lead me to the necklace. That wasn’t my original plan, though. At first, I was just going to kill him too, but when I was beating him up, I saw something. I was on top of him, and I was punching him, and I looked into his eyes. They were so sad, so empty. It was like he had given up, just waiting to die. Is it possible that he had a family, or people he loved? Do you think he was mourned, you know? I don’t know if other goblins miss him, maybe more went looking for him when he didn’t come back? It’s been bothering me ever since it happened. I keep seeing that goblin whenever we fight, I feel bad killing them sometimes, you know? I mean, is that bad?”  
She paused. “…No….no, I don’t think that’s bad. I think those things happen. You’re not a monster for killing goblins. Sure, it’s possible that goblin had a family, or even friends. That’s true for everything we kill. Those are the consequences. It’s no different from getting food though. Did you feel that way when you killed that boar for food the other day? You didn’t kill it because you wanted to or because you do it for fun, you did it because you had to. You didn’t have a choice. There’s a difference when you’re needlessly killing. We have a purpose, and that’s what keeps us from being like goblins. They do it because they can, we do it because we have to.”  
“You don’t think it’s possible that a goblin doesn’t want to kill people? There are people who kill for fun sometimes, don’t you think it’s possible that there’s more than one side to goblins too?”  
“Sure, but I haven’t met one, and I’m not going to give each goblin I fight a trial before I kill them.”  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”  
That talk helped a bit, I think. It makes sense, if we’re fighting I have to save myself, but I wonder about the gobs who aren’t fighting. The ones who are just doing their best for themselves, but no one gives them a chance. I wonder if they like being called gobs.   
We made it to Nas by the end of the day. I don’t think you’ve ever been there before, unless you have since you left. Just in case, I’ll tell you about it. To be honest, I didn’t know that much about it either, so most of this is what Curtlik told me.   
Haledine is so big, it’s like everyone you see is a new person, and it’s probably the first and last time you’ll ever see them. You might see a few people more than others if your routines overlap, but for the most part it’s a city of strangers. People look out for themselves, and friends help each other, but, you know, we more or less did things on our own, which is fine. It’s not cold, it’s just independent.   
Nas is nothing like that. It’s not nearly as wealthy or big as Haledine, it’s fairly modest, and just a small town where everyone knows each other. They take pride in their town and the work they do together. Esmerelda is the barkeep, and Curtlik said the town loves her. She’s like the older sister of the town. They’re secretly pretty well off financially, too. They live near a big mine and export the gems they get there.   
That’s why Curtlik and I were so surprised when we get to Nas and saw it in ruins. Walking down the main street into town, we watched the townspeople repair the shutters that had fallen off windows, sweep up debris in the street, broken glass and plates, paper, even food covered the streets. Some of the homes were damaged, doors handing off their hinges, and windows were boarded up. It was like a mob tore through the town, destroying everything in its path.   
We walked in, watching the people work. It was amazing to see everyone helping. They looked exhausted, like they hadn’t slept for days. If it wasn’t for the mess and destruction, it would be such a nice town. Stores and homes line the road going into town. At the end of the road, a small park makes up the town square. At the center is a giant fountain surrounded by well-kept grass and marble benches, only the grass is town up and the benches are damaged. Behind the park is a large mansion.   
The further we walked in, the more people began to stare at us. First in tired curiosity, but slowly murmurs of unsettling suspicion grew. “I don’t like this.” I whispered to Curtlik, my hand drifting towards my sword.   
“No” she caught my hand. My heart jumped, this is the last place I wanted to be holding her hand for the first time. “Just stay close to me.” She looked at me, then realized she was still holding my hand back and pulled away. I didn’t know what to do.  
“Hello! My name is Curtlik-“   
“IT’S THE VANDALS! GET THEM!” a shout came from one of the townspeople. Around us, people grabbed whatever was around, knives, hammers, planks of wood, or rope and closed in around us.   
“Can I use my sword now?” I asked, backing up to Curtlik.  
“Wait.” She ordered. “No, we’re from Haledine, on a quest from King Boridas! We can help!”  
The riot grew larger as people began to circle us.   
“Hi, listen, we don’t want trouble. Just tell us what’s going on!” I desperately tried to explain. They were just a bunch of people, but they were surprisingly intimidating.  
“We’ll be the judge of that! You’re probably here to cause more trouble!”  
“Yeah!” the mob cheered. They were getting close, I began to feel Curtlik get nervous. Neither of us wanted trouble, but there’s only so much we can do if they start attacking.  
“What’s going on here!?” A single voice dissipated the riot. The crowd drew back, people whispering to each other or looking down at the dirt. From the edge of the group, the mass of people split, making way for someone to enter. She made it to where we were, positioning herself between us and the man who spoke for the sudden riot.  
She was a young woman, and her white shirt and brown pants were covered by a long brown apron. Her hair was tied back and either naturally brown or darkened by dirt. She had a hand crossbow. It was pointed down, but her finger hugged the trigger.  
“Somebody better tell me what this is.” She demanded, looking at the unkept man.   
“We found the vandals, we were going to capture them!” The man explained, surprised at how that wasn’t already clear. When she looked at me, I felt warmth in her grey eyes. Even though the moment was tense, it was like inside she was still smiling.   
“You have no proof. Just because this is happening to us doesn’t mean we have to become animals. We’re civilized. We’re going to wait until Lord Lester returns and we’ll figure this out then.” Her finger left the trigger of her crossbow, I let out a slow sigh of relief.   
“Hi, um we’re kind of in a hurry. When will this Lord Lester be back?” I asked. We had swords to get, and I was sooner going to break out of here before I waste days on this.   
“He went to Vastfield about a week ago, he should be back tomorrow before noon.”   
“Please understand,” this time Curtlik stepped forward, holding her hands up. “We’re on a quest for King Boridas. It’s very important and time sensitive. We don’t have time to wait for whoever Lord Lester is.”  
“Lord Lester is in charge of Nas. You must have been traveling some time if you come from Haledine. Perhaps you could use a soft bed and a warm meal. It won’t cost you, you’ll be my guest.”   
“If Lord Lester’s gone, who’s in charge now?” I asked. I was suspicious, something didn’t seem right. When I asked, all hostility and suspicion was immediately replaced by warmth and pride.  
“We’ll that would be me,” she said, standing up straight, chest out and head up. “I’m Esmerelda, I own the Sleepy Fairy Inn.” I fought back a snicker, she’s fun. “You can spend the night there, and we can figure this all out tomorrow. I think we’ll just have a few questions, and you offered to help us, so maybe we can talk about that.”  
“But-“ The man protested.  
“No, that’s enough. It’s getting late, I suggest you go back home before curfew. I’m not afraid to shoot you.” Esmerelda waited for the crowd to clear, then walked us to her Inn.  
“Curfew?” I asked.  
“With this vandals on the loose, we want to make sure everyone is safe. I’m sorry about all this. I’m sure you two don’t have anything to do with it.”  
“How long has this been going on?” Curtlik asked, looking at all the destruction.  
“Every night since Lester left, it’s put a toll on our town. The good news is with you at the Fairy tonight, if the vandals cause more destruction tonight, you two will be cleared.”  
“Thank you, Esmerelda.” Cutrlik said what I was thinking.  
I liked the Sleepy Fairy. There was nothing special about it, really, but I guess it’s the people that make the place anyway, and if the people didn’t hate us I’m sure it would be a fun place to hang out.   
When we walked in, the people talking at the bar or at tables suddenly stopped and stared. For all the destruction that this town has gone through, this place wasn’t too bad. Some broken tables and chairs made a pile in the far corner, but the ones that were still intact decorated the room. There was some dirt on the floor, and light shining through the boarded windows reflected off floating durst. A bar was on the left side of the room, in front of a staircase leading up to a balcony on the second floor where the rooms were.   
“There’s nothing to see here. Now, it’s getting late, why don’t y’all finish your drinks and get before I have to kick you out.” Esmerelda smirked when she said it, but I feel like she actually would have done it. “Common, I’ll show you your room. Now do you need one or two?”  
“Two. Yeah, two is fine.” We said in unison. Esmerelda poorly hid her amusement at that.   
“Ha, alright, come with me.” We made our way up the steps and into one of the rooms. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was infinitely better than the ground I’ve been used to these past few days, so I was excited. Really there was just a bed, but I bet it was softer than dirt I was used to. Under the window to the main road was a night stand. I looked out the window, over to the small park and back down the street we walked down.   
“Well this is one, and someone else can have the room next door.” Esmerelda said. “I’m going to make sure everyone is gone downstairs, and I’ll bring you both something to drink?”  
“That would be perfect, thank you.” Curtlik answered.  
“Yes please.” I echoed.  
The door closed behind us, and as we heard the footsteps of Esmerelda descending, I turned to Curtlik.  
“What are we going to do?” I asked, sitting on the bed.  
“We have to get out of here. We don’t have time for this.”  
“So we’ll wait until night, and escape?”  
“I guess.”  
“I was looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight.” I sighed.  
“You’ll live.”  
“I don’t know, something doesn’t seem right.” My gaze drifted towards the window.  
“As much as I would like to stay, we have a mission. Esmerlda seems capable of handling it.” Cutrlik was leaning against the wall, looking out the same window.   
“She’s nice.” I pointed out.  
“Yeah, I like her.”  
The sound of footsteps made their way into the room. Not long after, Esmerelda came in. She held a tray with three mugs.  
“I don’t know about y’all, but I could use some ale.” She said, extending the tray to each of us. It was good ale, I would recommend it. Cutrlik and I both thanked Esmerelda as she walked to the window. Looking out, she held the tray under her arm and took a sip from her mug. “My own brew, it’s a secret recipe. The days pass so quickly now, we spend it rebuilding this town. No sooner do we finish it’s night. We wake up to more destruction.”  
“You’ve never seen them come?” I asked.  
“No, they come at night after we’re all asleep.” There was a hopelessness in her voice. It broke my heart.  
“Has anyone tried staying up to catch them?” Curtik wondered.  
“Every night. I always fall asleep somehow. We all wake up in the morning with no memory of the night. This has ruined more than the buildings in this town, people are scared, angry. Relationships are torn. People are on edge. It’s terrible, and there’s nothing I can do.” I saw the reflection of a tear fall down her face.  
Curtlik moved to Esmerelda, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be alright. We’ll stay up with you tonight.”  
“I appreciate that, thank you both.” She smiled weakly, turning to face us. “Well, it’s getting late, I best- OH!”  
The tray and mug crashed to the floor, ale spilling across the floor. Esmerelda doubled over, crying out in pain. She fell to her knees, gasping. Her eyes shot open in panic, her fear washed over me. I stood, rushing to help her, but Curtlik stopped me. Her hand was on her sword. This wasn’t anything she was prepared for either.   
Another agonizing scream shot out from Esmerelda. Her fingers gripped at the floor. Her spine hunched up, putting her head between her knees. Air rushed out of her when she exhaled, like someone was pushing all the air out of her in one painful motion. Falling to her side, she shook violently on the ground. She stopped screaming then, no, she was silent. All we could do was watch, terror struck us frozen.  
Esmerelda let out a sharp breath, followed by deep moans. She was covered in sweat, the room smelled of ale. Under her droning moans, we began to hear snaps. Breaks and pops coming from her body as her arms and legs bent, becoming deformed right in front of us. On the floor, Esmerelda slowly, violently, transformed.   
Her skin boiled, turning a light brown with spots of green. Her legs shrunk about a foot, her arms elongated twice that. Her hands curled, her fingers turning into claws until no trace of Esmerelda was left, nothing except those grey eyes. This new creature with her eyes remained motionless on the floor before us.  
“Um, WHAT!?” I couldn’t believe what I just saw.  
“I don’t know.” Curtlik was quiet.  
“WHAT IS THAT!?”  
“I DON’T KNOW!” Curtlik repeated.   
“I have rope in my bag, let’s tie it up before it wakes up.” I suggested, reaching in my bag. Curtlik’s sword was drawn, pointing at the creature. Her breath was consciously steady, like she was trying to calm herself down.  
When I approached what use to be Esmerelda, it started moving, regaining consciousness. I got it bound before it fought back, but it strained hard against the rope. It growled as us, bearing its sharp yellow teeth.   
“I think Esmerelda is still in there.” I said. We just stood there staring at it.  
A loud crash from outside broke the silence between us. We raced to the window. Roars and howls consumed the night. Waves of those creatures flooded the main street outside, destroying everything.  
“Oh my….” I heard Curtlik whisper under her breath.   
“This is bad. It happened to everyone.” I said, watching the destruction unfold.  
“Why not us?” Curtlik was right, if everyone in town turned into those things, shouldn’t we have too?  
“Maybe he knows.” The rioting dissipated closer to the park. From the window, we saw a different creature, not like the townspeople. It was hard to tell exactly what it was from here, but he was like a tall, lanky goblin. His skin was rough, a dark green that blended into the grass he was sitting on. Long black hair fell to the ground behind him.   
Suddenly, a small fire burst in front of him, then quickly extinguished itself. The creature took something from where the fire was, then walked through the park and up into the mansion.   
“Only one way to find out.” Curtlik said, turning to exit the room. I followed close behind, giving one last look at the creature tied on the floor. “We’ll save you.” I thought. The front door to the Sleepy Fairy was boarded up, preventing the creatures pounding at the door from entering. With that blocked, we had to find another way out.  
Through the kitchen was a back door leading to a back ally. It seemed like the focus of these creatures was the main street, because the back street was empty. We clung to the walls, staying in the dark as we made our way down the street towards the mansion. That was my favorite park, Curtlik and I sneaking around.  
About half way there, one of those creatures like the one Esmerelda turned into wandered into the street in front of us. There was nowhere we could go. As soon as it saw us, it shouted a horrible scream, barely audible over the same cries only a street over, and charged us. When it ran, it limped over its short legs, flailing its arms around.   
We ran to meet the creature. It swatted at both of us with its oversized claws. I slid on the dirt under the attack, Curtlik jumped, spinning over the arms entirely. The creature stopped, almost as if it was confused by how we suddenly vanished. We didn’t stop. Together, we ran towards it. It turned too late, and we used the handle of our swords to reinforce our punches until we took it out. We made sure not to kill it, only knock it out. The creature collapsed to the ground and we went on.   
The mansion was gated on all sides. A long path lead from the entrance to the front of the mansion. Looking closely, Curtlik pointed out two of those creatures standing guard at the front door. If we tried approaching, we’d be spotted before we even got close. One thing caught my attention at the front of the gate, a sign attached to the metal. It read “The Home of Lord Lester”.  
“What now?” I asked Curtlik.  
“Find another way in.”


End file.
